


Hindsight

by CoyoteChasingThunder



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, spoilers for chapter 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-25 16:14:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20914916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoyoteChasingThunder/pseuds/CoyoteChasingThunder
Summary: Gen fic about the end (?) of chapter 4 at Shady Belle before the big robbery





	Hindsight

**Author's Note:**

> I swore left and right that I would post this today and here I am...  
I think I fucked up the timeline and uhhh oops. Anyway just pretend that this is correct

Hindsight being 20/20, Arthur knew that he shouldn’t have drunk so much whiskey. But in his defense, it had been a hard day.  
The camp numbers were being reduced. One by one. Sean was dead, then Kieran. Everyone was shaken up. Karen took to the bottle, lashing out at everyone in a blind rage. As usual, Molly didn’t lift a finger and Dutch was all talk. It was all on his shoulders once again. It was late at night, but he was finally going to bed. He stumbled up the stairs to his bed and sat down. All he had to do was pull off his boots and then he could sleep. But the air clouded and became foggy... No. It was smoke. At first, it was tolerable and gentle. So familiar, like the campfire. Then it was rough and screaming, roasting and cracking his skin. He couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t and shouldn’t. The heat stung his face. He moved his arm, slapping roughly at his body. Grime piled up under his nails, coating every inch of his body. He didn’t understand why he wasn’t getting up. Didn’t understand why the horses were screaming in terror. A door slammed open, well a fit of coughing burst into the room. A dimly lit figure stood against an inferno. Someone was screaming his name, but it was miles away. Sluggishly he turned his head towards the man in his room. “Hosea?” He croaked, throat-ripping apart with the dry movement.  
He looked down to see his arms pulled from the bed. Arthur had never seen Hosea look so scared. His face loomed closely, knit with worry.  
He was being moved. He didn’t know where to though. A gunshot rang out through the house and distantly he heard Abigail and Jack screaming. Then more gunshots sounded and Arthur realized it was timber cracking and falling to the ground. Hosea was dragging him to the window. Arthur felt his head turn on its own accord. Vaguely he thought he saw Kieran in the doorway. In the smoke it seemed like his head bobbled back and forth, too loose to be of any healthy human being.  
Hosea lurched forward suddenly and Arthur felt very, very dizzy. He couldn’t tell which was up or why the roof was made up of stars in the night sky. 

Hosea dragged Arthur forward through the broken window right into the rooftop. Arthur felt himself sit down, not even conscious of it. He heard Hosea panting and heard a sick rattle and wheeze in his lungs. ‘Probably from the smoke’ he thought. Lenny shouted his name from down below. He thought back to a month ago when he was shouting Lenny’s name in a bar. Oh, how the tables turned.  
“C’mon down! Quick, hurry!” Another piece of timber fell, crushing his room. Or was it a gunshot? He couldn’t tell. Until Hosea began spluttering. He gave a weak cough, blood spitting from his lips. A red flower bloomed in his shirt, darkening his vest. Then he fell. Lenny screamed as Hosea’s limp body pitched forward and knocked him to the ground.  
More screaming. Where was the rest of the gang? In his panicked state, he couldn’t understand why Lenny wasn’t getting up. He was so young. So talented. 

He woke up, shaking horribly, tangled in his skeets and drenched in sweat. The smoke evaporated. The bodies mended, flesh knitting back together and becoming whole. It was ok.  
He sat up and shook it off. Today would be a busy day. After all, he had to go talk to Dutch about that big bank robbery. It would be their last mission. If his lungs were feeling better, maybe Hosea would come with them.

**Author's Note:**

> yay I finally finished some writing FINALLY AHAHA  
Ty for reading! :D Sorry about any formatting problems.


End file.
